The North American F-86F Sabre is a day, clear weather, transonic fighter-interceptor with a secondary ground attack capability. The foremost US fighter of the Korean War (1950-53), the F-86 was the only Allied jet that could hold its own – and in the right hands, outmatch - the Russian-made MiG-15s over the bitterly-contested North Korean airspace known as ‘MiG Alley’.
The F-86F is armed with six .50 in/12.7 mm Colt-Browning М3 machine guns, with a rate of fire of 1100 rounds per minute and 300 rounds per gun. A game-changer at the time, the Sabre’s excellent APG-30 gunsight helped give it the edge in dogfights, enabling accurate fire at longer ranges. It can also carry two AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles. For air-to-ground strikes the F-86 can deliver up to sixteen HVAR unguided rockets or pairs of AN-M64 500lb or M117 750lb General Purpose bombs.
Powered by a single General Electric J47-GE-27 turbojet providing 5,910 lbs of thrust, the F-86F has a maximum speed of 595 knots at sea level, a rate of climb of 9,000 fpm to 49,600 feet and a combat radius of about 600 nautical miles.
Almost 10,000 were built, making the F-86 the most-produced Western jet-fighter of all time. Exported to many countries, it saw service with almost 30 air forces. It last saw action flying in Pakistani Air Force colors during the 1971 war with India.
Experience the strengths and challenges of the Sabre in combat and find out why seasoned fighter pilots often look back on it as the most enjoyable aircraft they ever flew.
Fuel in the aircraft is kept in four tanks. Two fuel tanks are in the fuselage and one fuel tank is inside each half-wing. In order to increase the fuel load, external fuel tanks may be installed on the wings: two tanks under each half-wing. Fuel tank pylons located closer to the fuselage have a capacity of 450 liters (120 gallons). The tanks with a capacity of 750 liters (200 gallons) are mounted on special pylons located further from the fuselage.
The DCS: F-86F is equipped with both DC and AC electrical systems.
Direct-Current (DC) power supplies:
Alternating-Current (AC) is provided by a single-phase (115V, 400Hz) and two three-phase (36V, 400Hz) inverters.
DCS: F-86F Sabre has three separate hydraulic systems of constant pressure: utility hydraulic system, flight control normal hydraulic system, and flight control alternate hydraulic system.
The utility hydraulic system is completely independent of two boost systems. Moreover, it has a hydraulic accumulator for emergency extension of the nose landing gear.
The utility hydraulic system provides:
There are two independent boost hydraulic systems: normal hydraulic system and alternate hydraulic system are installed in the F-86F flight control system.
The boost hydraulic systems are intended to control ailerons, horizontal tail and elevator (they transfer the governing input from the control stick to actuation hydraulic drives).
The DCS: F-86F control system has a number of unique features:
Thus, any aerodynamic loads are not tranferred to the control stick. However the pilot still feels input forces on the control stick. This is achieved by introducing roll and pitch feel spring mechanisms into the aircraft control system.
